We heard from Trump last night. But what do Americans really think about the issues?
Digby’s Hullabaloo shares information from Pew Research Center:
Economy: 24% of U.S. adults say the economy is in excellent or good shape, while far more say it’s doing only fair (45%) or poor (31%). Looking ahead, partisans have very different predictions about what economic conditions will look like a year from now: 73% of Republicans say they’ll be better, and 64% of Democrats say they’ll be worse.
Groceries: More Americans expect the affordability of food and consumer goods to get worse (43%) rather than better (37%) over the course of 2025. Another 19% say it will stay about the same. Republicans are far more likely than Democrats to predict prices will improve.
Health care: Affordability of health care is one of Americans’ top concerns, with 67% of adults saying it’s a very big problem – up 10 percentage points since last spring. Again, more expect affordability to get worse rather than better in the coming year (45% vs. 20%).
Immigration: Majorities of U.S. adults support certain policy steps, including increasing deportations (59%) and sending more military forces to the southern border (58%). Fewer support cutting federal funds for cities and states if they don’t help federal deportation efforts (47%) or suspending asylum applications (44%). Republicans broadly approve of all these policy actions, while Democrats do not.
Birthright citizenship: More Americans disapprove than approve of Trump’s executive order redefining birthright citizenship in the U.S. (56% vs. 43%). Strong disapproval of the order is more widespread than strong approval (40% vs. 23%).
Ukraine: As of early February, 30% of Americans say the U.S. is giving too much support to Ukraine in its war with Russia, while 22% say it is not giving enough. Another 23% say the amount of support is about right. Republicans remain more likely than Democrats to say the U.S. is giving too much support (47% vs. 14%) and to say helping Ukraine hurts U.S. national security (40% vs. 21%).
NATO: Fewer than half of Republicans (47%) say the U.S. benefits a great deal or fair amount from NATO membership – the lowest share measured since we started asking this question in 2021. By comparison, 82% of Democrats say the U.S. benefits from being a NATO member.
Federal workers: 55% of Americans have a great deal or fair amount of confidence in federal career employees to act in the best interests of the public, but partisan divisions on this question are wide. And though Americans have long viewed a number of federal agencies favorably, a 56% majority have the overall sense that government is “almost always wasteful and inefficient.”
Policies affecting trans Americans: Compared with 2022, Americans have become more likely to favor certain restrictions for transgender people, such as requiring trans athletes to compete on teams that match their sex at birth (66%) and banning health care professionals from providing care related to gender transitions for minors (56%).
Elon Musk: As Musk continues to hold an influential role in the Trump administration, the overall balance of public opinion on him tilts more negative than positive (54% vs. 42%). Republicans mostly see Musk favorably (73%) while Democrats largely see him unfavorably (85%).
Climate: Climate change is among Democrats’ top concerns this year, with 67% saying it’s a very big problem. Just 13% of Republicans agree. When thinking about climate policy, Democrats prioritize protecting the environment for future generations, while Republicans place the most emphasis on keeping consumer costs low.
